


The Sweetest Thing

by ginchy



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: F/M, Romance, Valentine's Day, birthday fic gift, medical dorks in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 11:03:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17786171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginchy/pseuds/ginchy
Summary: A birthday fic-gift for my lovely friend fourteen-teacups!!It's Valentine's Day and Shelagh asks Patrick to meet her after his evening rounds...





	The Sweetest Thing

 

Miss Higgins left the surgery with an admonishment to Patrick to hurry along to his evening calls.  “Oh,” she said, turning back, and handing him a plain manila envelope. “Mrs. Turner asked me to see that you received these notes from Nonnatus House.  She was rather in a rush about it all and I suppose she didn’t wish their being lost or mishandled at home.” Pursing her lips, Miss Higgins turned from the door.  “Goodnight, Doctor.”

Patrick rolled his eyes heavenward with an amused smile.  “Goodnight, Miss Higgins.” For a moment he thought to leave the papers for the morning, but thinking of Shelagh’s face when she would inevitably ask if he had read through the case notes, he thought the better of it, and ripped into the envelope.  His forehead creased as he pulled from the large envelope a smaller, red one. It was Valentine’s Day, but he and Shelagh had never been too ostentatious with the holiday, it being so close to their wedding anniversary. That morning he had surprised her with a tin of chocolates and a package of Love Hearts, treats that they didn’t often keep in the house.  Shelagh had made for him a breakfast pie, the sort that she generally did not like for him to eat, and he had thought that, save perhaps a few late-night kisses, the end of their Valentine’s Day.

The card seemed to indicate that Shelagh had more on her mind for the day of romance, however.  He opened it and smiled at the sweet image of a nurse holding a heart of lace.

_Patrick,_

_Once you’ve finished with your rounds meet me where we shared our first kiss._

_-S_

He glanced at the clock to find that it was almost gone five.  He tucked the small card into his jacket pocket. Invigorated, he set off to fulfill the evening list before meeting his Valentine.  

\--

The door to the flat was locked.  Patrick shifted the single red rose he held into his right hand and searched for his keys with his left.  For a moment he was almost certain that he would walk through the door to find a glimpse of the not-so-distant past: baby Angela grinning at him from her cot, young Tim buzzing on over his latest find in _The Lancet_ , and Shelagh, prim and perfect, flitting about, setting the table and laughing with the kids.  His heart lurched against his chest as he unlocked the door. The soft glow of candlelight shifted his perception, until all he could think about was the here and now.  He caught sight of Shelagh as he entered the sitting room and his heart raced at the thought of how very alone they would be in their flat this one last time.

“Hello, dearest.”  Shelagh smiled at him from the hatch at the kitchen.  Surrounded by a glow of flames she seemed vibrant and excited, a gleam in her eyes.  “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

He raised an eyebrow.  “Happy Valentine’s or Happy We-Finally-Have-Tenants-Day?”  

“Oh, Patrick.” Shelagh grinned.  “Can it not be both?”

“Indeed,” he answered, walking into the kitchen.  He handed her the rose and gestured to the champagne coupes and silver tray of strawberries on the counter. “What’s all this?”

Shelagh breathed in the scent of the rose before lifting her eyes to his.  “Tonight we’re going to indulge ourselves, Patrick. Tenants have been secured, the girls and Teddy are with Nanny until nine, Timothy is enjoying the quiet at home…”

“...and you’ve brought me here for a bit of snogging?”

“Patrick!” Shelagh’s cheeks flushed, but she met his eyes with a hint of mischief.  “I couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t follow my instructions to the letter.”

Patrick took a step back and looked out into the sitting room.  “I’m here, aren’t I? In our flat.”

“Perhaps I was looking for you to be more specific, Doctor.”  Shelagh dimpled in a smile.

“I’ll show you specific, Mrs. Turner,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her to the wall that separated the kitchen doorway from the hatch.  “It was just here.” He raised her hand as if to kiss it.

Shelagh giggled, pulling her hand free.  “I think we were closer to the hatch,” she said, taking a step forward to encourage him to back by one step. She leaned up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. “There. I think this might be just the place…”

“I don’t know,” Patrick murmured.  “I think it was half-a-step this way…” he wrapped his arm around her waist and moved them out from the wall. He rubbed his thumb across the small of her back before fanning out his fingers to press her close. “We were standing just here.  You were wearing your brown dress and that infernal blue cardi.”

Eyes widening with surprised mirth, Shelagh’s lips quirked.  “You were stalling then, too,” she whispered before pressing upward to take his mouth with her own.  All too soon, she pulled back, dimpling in a smile at the surprised look in his eyes. “It was lovely to relive that memory with you.”

He chuckled, spinning her toward the center of the room.  Shelagh laughed and protested, coming to rest against his chest.  “Patrick!”

“Yes?”  He grinned down at her.  “So long as we’re reliving kisses I thought we might move to the spot of our second kiss…”  

“Was it just here?”  Shelagh looked around and shook her head. “I believe this is where the settee was located.”

“Perhaps it was kisses numbers two through… hmmm... twenty-four, then?”  

Shelagh’s lips twitched.  “Patrick.” She placed her palm along his jaw and encouraged him toward her.  Her lips parted for him, and she gave a tiny moan as he deepened this kiss. It was over far too quickly and she blinked as he pulled away.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  “Shelagh...” his voice was low in the darkened room.  

Her breath shuddered as she exhaled.  Taking his hand, she pulled him to the corridor, backing herself against the wall. “Second kiss as husband and wife,” she whispered.  

His eyes were dark as he lowered his head, brushing his lips against hers, playing with her until she growled, plunging her hands into his hair. Their mouths met and parted, hands roaming and clutching until Patrick pulled away to take a breath. He cupped Shelagh’s face. “I’m pretending that our bedroom is still just down the corridor.”

Shelagh broke into giggles.  “Oh, I’m afraid it’s not, dearest.”  She grinned. “You’ll just have to wait!”

He groaned, burying his head in her neck.  He kissed the tender skin, nibbling lightly before pulling back. “If you’ll recall, I wanted to keep a bed here even after we moved.”

“To nap between patients?”  She wiggled from under his body and yelped, narrowly escaping his playful slap toward her bottom.  Shelagh took a rolled blanket from the hatch and shook it out, placing it on the floor near the wall.  She smiled at Patrick’s pretend grumbles. “Sit here, dearest.” She handed him a saucer of champagne. He leaned against the wall, watching as she bustled around, fussing with the candles and tray of strawberries.  

“Shelagh?”

She placed the tray onto the blanket and smiled as he patted the spot next to him.  “Hmm…” she tapped her lips. “It seems there’s a perfect spot right…” she lowered herself into his lap.  “Here.”

“Careful,” he murmured as she wiggled into a comfortable position.  He handed her the saucer and watched appreciatively as she took a sip.  “There are strawberries,” he reminded, watching her damp lips as she handed him the glass.

“Oh, I’m not likely to be forgetting them, Patrick!”  Taking a strawberry from the tray, she held it to his lips.  

His eyes flickered to hers as if slightly suspicious, but he obediently opened his mouth and took a bite.  Taking her hand, he kissed the tip of her finger. “I don’t want your hands to become sticky, Mrs. Turner,” he said, off her look.

“Hmmm…” Shelagh tapped his nose.  “Of course.”

He took a drink before taking a strawberry and offering it to her.  He watched as she accepted the fruit, eyes trained to her lips as she took the small bite.  He waited until she finished before coaxing her into a strawberry flavored kiss. When he pulled away he nuzzled her ear and whispered, “Happy Valen-tenant Day.”

“Patrick,” Shelagh laughed, snuggling into his neck as she looked out into the dimly lit room.  “I hope they’ll be happy here. As happy as we were.” She fiddled with his tie. “I supposed I wanted to say goodbye.”

He took her hand, holding it to his heart.  “I told Timothy as we left that last time that our memories here belong to us.”  He lifted her hand to his mouth and gently kissed it. “Now you and I have one more memory to share.”

“Oh, Patrick,” she took a breath and smiled, squeezing his hand.  “We do -- and that’s the sweetest thing.”

-end

 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday, fourteen-teacups!!!! I hope you enjoy--you're so sweet that the fic needed to match!! Thanks to Birdie and Kagu for reading this over and their helpful suggestions. Also, this is the type of Valentine card I was imagining: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/62/1f/e4/621fe42b9950734cdfaa62169aa10e19.jpg Happy Valentine's Day!!


End file.
